Shift
by G-AnakinRPG
Summary: Vanille is guilty. Hope is angry. Sahz is worried. Lightning is withdrawn. The Paradigm deck is altered. A What-If AU Flirty HopexLightning, VanillexHope, VanillexSazh
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game or any scenes, places, concepts, characters, or dialogue + etc. from it.

**Title:** Shift  
**Setting:**Vile Peaks; after fighting the Dreadnaught  
**Summary:**Vanille is guilty. Hope is angry. Sazh is worried. Lightning is withdrawn. The Paradigm deck is altered. A What-If AU! Flirty HopexLightning, VanillexHope, VanillexSazh

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**Prologue**

_Fourteen days ago, I awoke and my rebirth changed the world. So many have suffered because of my failure. _

_My new comrades face the same fate as I. How can I repent?_

_Fight for Cocoon's survival?_

Vile Peaks

"Vanille. Look," Hope said, pointing to the beautiful city floating in the distant sky. "That's Eden."

The radiant young woman giggled. "It's so beautiful. Have you ever been there?" she asked.

The silvered-blonde nodded. "Yes." He clenched his hands and sniffled. "Mom and I went there once," he managed. "We went to surprise dad when I was ten. We never saw him. He was at work until morning, and we had to return home for school the next morning."

She nodded, intertwining her fingers. "Did you enjoy it?"

He sat down on a rock, looking up at the redhead. "It was nice; not as good as Palumpolum though," he laughed. "Palumpolum is starting to bring back actual shops. It makes the city very lively," he said, kicking his feet around, rubbing his shoes across the dirt.

Vanille hummed. "Is that where you got those shoes? They seem nice, but not good for traveling."

"Heh, yeah."

"Do you go to Palumpolum often?

"I live there, actually."

"What? Really?" she asked, astonished. But confusion eventually shadowed her expression. "Then . . . why were you in Bodhum?" she asked quietly.

"Mom and I . . . we were just visiting . . . for the fireworks. Dad . . . that . . . that . . ." Hope sighed. "He was supposed to meet us. If he had kept his promise . . . we would have escaped the Purge. Now . . . now . . . Mom is gone!" Vanille sat down next to him, and he flew to her arms. Sniffling, he said, "We were . . . just visiting."

"Oh," Vanille said guiltily, stroking his hair.

He looked up to her. "Why so sad all of the sudden?" he asked.

"I was just visiting too," she lied.

_Visiting? No. I was waiting to die, to turn a Cie'th. I was prepared . . ._

_to sacrifice myself for this beautiful world . . ._

_to save others from suffering._

_How wrong I was._

_-_

A loud, strenuous groan escaped Vanille's lips as she helped Hope up and over the edge; they had climbed up the pile to get in on the conversation between Lightning and Sazh.

"Thanks," Hope muttered as they walked over to where Lightning and Sazh were talking.

"So, what are you going to do?" they heard Sazh ask.

"Destroy it," Lightning deadpanned.

Sazh was flabbergasted. "By yourself? What, are you crazy? Say you pull it off…hmmm…What's that get you? Satisfaction?" Sazh's voice rose with slight hysteria. "Something happens to Eden, it's lights out Cocoon!" Realization dawned upon him. "You _want _that. You're a Pulse l'Cie now, so you just want to snuff out Cocoon!" he yelled, his arms flailing.

"No!" Vanille exclaimed. "What about Serah? It might even be our Focus to make sure Cocoon stays—"

Lightning cut in. "Our Focus doesn't matter. I don't take orders from fal'Cie," she emphasized. "How I live is up to me."

Sazh sighed. "Don't you mean how you die?"

"Think like that, and it's already over," she countered. "Better to keep your path and keep moving."

At this, Hope nodded.

"Don't worry," Lightning explained. "I'm after the Sanctum. I'm not out to destroy the world." Her voice dropped low. "If it did come to that, wonder if our 'hero' would try to stop me?"

Sazh snapped at her remark. "You want to fight Snow now? Just like that and you're enemies?"

Lightning's hard eyes flew to his. "Next time we meet, we might be too."

And with that, she sauntered off; Hope watched sadly as Vanille moved out of the older woman's way. "Lightning…" she said, worried.

"Call me Light," she said before marching off.

_When the fear sank in, it nearly tore us all apart; but we still had a glimpse of light and hope._

_Light was suffering, but couldn't bring herself to tell us; and we . . . _

_we couldn't bring ourselves to reach out to her_

"Snow deserves it!" Hope yelled before dashing after her, but quickly stopped in his tracks. He turned back to Vanille and Sazh. With a heavy sigh, he said, "Wait here a second."

"Light, wait up!" He jogged after the marching woman.

She turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"I . . . I want you to come with us," he said.

Lightning closed her eyes. _I am on a death mission; I will not die a slave. I must repent for not believing her. And I can't take others to hell with me! _"No," she said, "our goals are different. Go home and enjoy what's left of your life." And with that, she turned around and left.

"Wait." Hope grabbed her gloved hand and reached into his pocket before placing something in her hand. "Here's some gil. Stay safe," he said.

"No, you keep it." She turned away.

Hope grabbed her arm, jerking her forcefully around. "There are three of us and only one of you. I want you to have it," he stated, staring directly into her eyes. "My mom gave it to me. Please, take it."

She stared at him for a few moments. With a heavy sigh, she took it and gripped his wrist, touching his brand. _So kind . . . so like Serah. _"Thanks," she said, and she meant it.

And then she left, walking with just a little bit more bounce in her step.

-

_The grieving boy comforted the warrior, while I was too weak to offer a word of kindness. _

_Perhaps, if we had worked together…we could have saved her from herself._

Hope walked back to the pair, sadness written across his face.

_If only I had been stronger, none of this would have happened._

Vanille sniffled. "I don't know what I should do," she cried out. Hope grabbed her hands, holding back his own tears.

"We run to a safe place for now, kiddos," Sazh said with resolution. "Time for the old man to take the lead."

"Good luck Light," Hope whispered. Disentangling his hands from Vanille, he said, "We can't be afraid anymore. We have to be strong. Some things . . . you just do! We'll meet Light again one day. She told me where we are. Palumpolum is that way, meaning the Sunleth Waterscapes are that way," he said, indicating two directions. "We can hide in the Sunleth Waterscapes. I've been there. We can probably find food and water."

"Way to go Hope!" Vanille exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.

Blushing, he returned the hug. "Heh, yeah?"

"Past the Sunleth Waterscapes is…Nautilus," Sazh said with a hint of sadness. "We can go anywhere on Cocoon from there!"

"Oh, Hope!" Vanille called excitedly. "We can go to Palumpolum. You can go home!"

"No," he said calmly yet coldly. "A l'Cie . . . doesn't have a home." Then, Sazh and Hope started for their refuge.

_It hit me then, how badly my failure harmed this boy. A home . . . should be a place you're always welcome. _

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Do you like? Please review. I could use a beta reader for this, so feel free to volunteer. One problem I feel with this is that it moves too fast and doesn't give enough detail about the environment and facial expressions. Feel free to leave any kind critique.

By the way, any italics that are not obviously another character's belong to Vanille. I intend to keep her narration.

This will not have any direct pairings, but I will try to make it like the game with a lot of hinting; mainly with LightxHope and VanillexHope.

The reference to Hope having been at the Sunleth Waterscapes is from the translated novel.

**Beta found!**

Thanks given to my beta, Lexicer!

Enjoy!

**Edited on April 8**


	2. Chapter 1: Siezed

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is obviously not mine. I do not own the characters, places or ideas presented in the game.**

**A/N: **_Hey, I'm updating this early. I plan on a biweekly schedule, so I should be updating on April 17th, rather than today. Anyway, I'll try my best to stick to the original schedule besides early birds like this. So, the next update should be around the 1st of May!_

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**Chapter 1**

_Siezed_

_Vile Peaks_

The pebbles cracked beneath her feet as she marched. Soldiers screamed as she cut them down or shot them through. She hadn't batted an eye; nothing would stop her from her revenge, her repentance.

The battles were systematic; run up to the foe, slash, slash, then a back-flip, during which she would have her crystal, a red rose, switch purpose. It would change the flow of energy, her l'Cie magic giving her new-found and unnatural strength. Rather than a fierce commando she would be a breaker, shattering her foe's resistance with magic. Stagger it, and then kill it.

She had been at it for hours, and her crystal's healing wasn't keeping up with the demands of her body.

The roar of a Velocycle was heard over a mountain of trash. She dashed at it, her blade knocking away each bullet with a _ping_. This would be a reiteration of her battle in the crystallized Lake Bresha, but she would be alone. She ran and jumped, flipping in the air. She was throwing bolts of lightning at it, then came down, stabbing it from above with a sparked blade. She landed to the side and back flipped, going Commando, ripping apart the staggering machine.

She hollered out as bullet pierced through her left shoulder form behind; she spun and angrily rushed at the group of soldier meters away. They were PSICOM and she cut them down in moments.

Dropping the Gladius, she slumped to her knees gripping her left shoulder.

"Damn it! What are PSICOM doing here?" she gritted out. "This is Guardian Corp territory."

Suddenly, she heard the disapproving cluck of a tongue accompanied by footsteps. "You've got it all wrong, dear. PSICOM territory is anywhere monsters from Pulse wish to infest Cocoon," a woman said smugly. "You're ex-Guardian Corp? I can understand . . . your misconception of the way things are. Technically, it would be the Cavalry's territory. Though, we know who's really in charge."

Lightning growled and rushed up to the smug woman, only to fly through the air and land on the ground with a thud as the woman's metal baton slapped her across the face. She rolled over and her gun blade was kicked out of her hand, out of reach. Just as Lightning was about to dash towards the lost weapon, the woman's baton was at her throat. Lightning glared venomously at the woman and recognized her as a PSICOM bigwig: Jihl Nabaat.

Clicking her tongue, Jihl waggled her finger patronizingly. "A l'Cie. So easy to take down. And you're one we so fear?"

Before Lightning could respond, Nabaat signaled one of her subordinates; a sharp pain shot through the back of her head before unconsciousness took over.

"What now?" the soldier asked.

"Load her up onto the transport," Jihl answered her subordinate. "Oh . . . and do make sure not to touch her. I would hate to see you purged."

-

Hope cried out as a Thexteron, a green scaly wolf with a mechanic tail, tried to bite into his left arm, instinctively thrown up to protect his face; a fire spell, fueled by the intruding brand, shot out of his hand at the creature's face.

The dog scrambled up to tackle Hope again, but he was saved by Vanille, who was twirling manically several meters away. The coral-haired girls 'fishing-rod' had sent the creature flailing. She stretched, most likely to change the flow of her crystal's energy, and then swung her hand in the direction of the wolf and sickly light vaguely covered her hand. The wolf howled as that same light burst around him like sludgy liquid.

_Vanille's deprotect spell, no doubt, _Hope thought.

The creature was obliterated as Sahz ran up to it and blitzed it with his dual guns.

Hope heard a clank behind him and spun around to see a Pulsework Soldier lumbering his way. He threw his boomerang at it and cried out as it rebounded; he could barely manage to fall to his butt to save his face from being bashed in by the toy. He yelped, frightened, as something came bouncing towards him, knocking him to the ground, causing him to scrape his face against the rock and dirt.

Looking up, he saw a bomb bouncing around him.

"Hope!" Vanille called, throwing a flurry of aero spells into the bomb. It was followed immediately by a duet of inflamed bullets, followed by two balls of fire. The bomb enjoyed that and started to grow. Suddenly, arms and a face popped out of the metal encasement.

"It's gonna blow!" Hope yelled, scrambling back on his butt, his gloved palms ignoring the pebbles digging into them. He grunted as his head met metal. The Pulsework Soldier was above him. He immediately rolled out of the way as metal hands cam rushing down towards him. The bomb had rolled up next to the robot, its evil, fiery, demonic face telling him that it wanted to work with its robotic friend to pound him to dust.

He closed his eyes, concentrated and then swung his left arm as strongly as he could. He would throw an ice spell, hoping that it would melt and then put out the flames around the bumbling bomb. Ice shot out of his hand and a column of ice surrounded them, capturing both the Pulsian creatures in its prison.

"Whoa," Hope said, seeing what he had done. _A new spell _. . . he wondered in awe.

"Wow, Hope! That's amazing," Vanille said, rushing to heal his scraped face.

Sahz laughed, "Kids, always showing us old folks up."

They heard the sound of shattering glass as the bomb exploded, taking the Pulsework monstrosity with it.

Sahz waked over to the edge of the cliff, and looked down below. "There it is kids; the Sunleth Waterscapes." He turned back to them, seeing Vanille help Hope up, inspecting his arm.

"It was hurt by that bomb," Hope grunted.

"Don't worry!" Vanille said. "I'll make it feel better!" Bluish-green light surrounded her hand, then his arm.

"So . . . how are we going to get down there?" Hope asked, nodding in thanks to Vanille.

Sahz laughs. "By using one of these," he said, holding up a cartridge. "Jump, and we'll land safely with this. Found it on a dead PSICOM. Let's go."

-

Aleandria_, PSICOM Flagship under the Authourity of Jihl Nabaat_

"Welcome Primarch," said Jihl, with unbound respected dripping from her lips.

"Jihl." He acknowledged, steeping off of his transport, his veil flowing in front of his face. "Show me the l'Cie."

They marched down the halls of the _Alexandria_, a procession of PSICOM Celebrants following their every step. They entered the seldom used detention area, for l'Cie and their sympathizers were rarely captured alive.

The cell didn't have a door. In its stead was an impenetrable sheet of glass, a panel normally used only for architecture in Eden. Within the cell were turrets, all aimed directly for the angry l'Cie. "Open it," the Primarch commanded. "Leave us."

The Celebrants marched away as the glass lifted slowly, allowing the Sanctum leaders to step in to the woman's prison. She growled, and attempted to lash out, but was held back by her restraints.

The Primarch laughed. "My arrogant l'Cie, do you really think you can harm me?" With a smirk, he smacked her across the face with his ornate cane.

Abruptly, he turned on Jihl. "Do you know the nature of l'Cie?" he asked.

"l'Cie are taken by fal'Cie and forced to complete a Focus. If they fail, they face a fate worse than death; succeed, and they gain immortality."

"Hmm, close," the Primarch stated, leaving the cell. "I'll have to instruct you properly later. Gather the l'Cie in Palumpolum."

-

_Sunleth Waterscapes_

They were in a tree, their new shelter. Flandragora and lizard creatures couldn't reach them here. Hope was chewing on some weird fruit he had found, while Vanille was boiling water they had collected from a nearby pond; she was sanitizing some and preparing other for lizard or Flandragora soup, whichever tasted better.

Sahz was on the lookout, shooting at dragon-birds whenever they came close. They would flutter around, looking for how some 'pebble' had hit them and they would eventually flee with following shots.

They heard the sound of ships ripping through the clouds. Panicked, they all looked up. Hope stood up. "The got Light!?" he yelled.

"No," Sahz states. "That's not PSICOM. That's the Cavalry. What are they doing, heading to Palumpolum?" he asked himself.

Just then, a smaller carrier transport turned around.

"Looks like they found us," Hope said. "We've got to hurry to Nautilus. They'll never think to look for us there."

-

_the _Lindblum_, Cavalry Ship under the command of Cid Raines_

"He's come to meet you," a Cavalry soldier said, walking along side a mysterious woman dressed in a blue, revealing dress.

"Hmmm," she hummed in comprehension, marching forward.

A hulk of a man was in front of her, restrained, escorted by two soldiers. A raven haired man approached.

"You must be Snow," he said, offering a hand. "Cid Raines, Brigidier General of the fleet."

"Hi, Cid," Snow replied sarcastically. "Thanks for the escort."

"Apologies," Cid scoffed. "I just had a few questions to ask you."

A trio of Watchdrones led a casket, the insides occupied by a crystallized Serah. "If it works like they tell us, she must have finished her focus . . ." Cid began, but was interrupted by Snow's call for Serah.

Snow was cut off by the woman's arm at his throat, and a look on her face saying 'not now.'

". . . as a Pulse l'Cie that is," Cid finished.

The woman knocked Snow back into the grip of some soldiers. "You think she was out to hurt Cocoon!" he yelled.

"I'd hardly be alone if I did," Cid countered. "When it comes to Pulse, who could claim to know anything? I need the truth, for the sake of Cocoon."

"The sake of Cocoon?" Snow asked. "We're from Cocoon!" he yelled indignantly. "Shipping us out . . . purging innocent people . . . that's how you lent us a hand!?"

"Those are the Sanctum's methods," Cid countered. "The public fears what it doesn't know. It's grown tired of living in constant terror from the threats of the world below. So, the Sanctum devised a plan for you l'Cie."

"I'll bet," Snow muttered.

"A public execution."

Snow jerked in the soldiers arms.

"The people don't know any better," Cid continued. "Strike the phantoms before their eyes, and they sleep like babies."

"No!" Snow yelled as he ripped himself from the soldiers arms, only to fly to the ground as the woman kicked him in the chest. Soldiers were aimed to fire on the grounded man, and Fang looked down at him.

"Sanctum has intelligence on the other l'Cie already," Cid said. "It's only a matter of time."

"You'll never catch them," Snow says pathetically.

"I see," Cid said. "We'll need your help then, won't we? By the way, a Lightning Farron has already been captured." He turned to leave.

"Lightning?!"

He was knocked out cold by the tribal woman.

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**- Thanks are given to Lexicer!**

**Obviously, the last scene is lifted from the game, except for a few changes.**

**April 15, 2010 **


	3. Chapter 3

Hi, I will not be completing this story. However, I have a new, very cool idea to write.

Unlike for this story, I have the whole thing planned out, so it already has an ending and everything else. Keep watch on the FFXIII fanfiction page :D

**You won't regret it!**

**

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**

**Here's two hints:**

The title is _Apotheosis_.

It will feature a love triangle.


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